Great class and professor! Peris is very knowledgeable about American politics and made even the more mundane parts of the course content interesting. There's a lot of reading, but in my experience you don't really need to do it all. Definitely take this class!

Loved this class, honestly. I had a pretty solid background of American politics from AP US Gov but I think Peris definitely added on and enhanced my understanding of the topic. He has good slides, lectures well, and is very knowledgeable. I thought the grading was very fair and the assignments were actually kind of fun. We had to write I believe five essays about certain topics, but they hardly involved any research and took me maybe two hours each. I think he made the class a bit more bearable for COVID and all tests and quizzes (quizzes were based on reading) were open note, but they were overall easy anyways. He also did a good job of incorporating current events into his lectures, especially since the election fell in the middle of the quarter. Cares about student's learning as well. 11/10 would recommend. I really enjoyed going to lecture. And he has two cats that meow in the backgrounds sometimes.

There is a lot of reading, but I did learn a lot from this class.

I know he had an N word scandal but besides that he was really good. The lectures were extremely clear and I totally understood everything he said all the time. There was a ton of reading which is important if you plan to take the quizzes but I don't this you really need to do it if not. The workload was on the higher end but certainly not impossible.

I took PS40 with Professor Peris during COVID, so the structure of the class could be different from an in-person class. Professor Peris is incredibly knowledgeable about American politics, and I found it really rewarding to take the class with him. I've honestly learned so much about American politics from his lectures. The exams were fairly graded, and if you take good notes and understand the concepts thoroughly you will be able to get a good grade :)

One of my favorite PS upper div classes! Peris is an amazing and organized lecturer, the content is interesting, and the structure of the course is good as well. Easy weekly assignments and reading quizzes that make up half of your grade and the midterm/final are easy to do well on if you pay attention in lecture. Definitely recommend this course!!!

I enjoyed taking this class with Professor Peris, and the timing of the course in the context of the subject matter of Congress and the events of early 2021 made for a particularly exciting and engaging course. Professor Peris' class was very straightforward and his lectures were organized (and recorded). I feel as though I learned a lot and the workload was light. No large writing assignments besides 8 weekly reports on a committee in Congress, but these were not overly time consuming. Optional quizzes and the midterm/final were straightforward if you studied (and likely not horrible even if you did not review, as he also held reviews in class).

TAKE THIS CLASS!! I highly recommend POL SCI 40 with Peris!

Peris is a wonderful professor and I always look forward to attending his lectures. His lectures are recorded so it is fine if you happen to miss class. His exams are straightforward and easy so the path to an A is very attainable.

The discussion sections are also pretty fun and chill. My TA was Claudia and I really enjoyed having her since she's caring and helpful.

Overall, this is a great class for fulfilling the Pol Sci prereq, GE, or just a fun class! You won't regret taking it!

Peris is pretty chill and this class is an easy A.
There are optional quizzes that a pretty as long as you do the reading.
You also have to write a weekly report on a congressional committee which get easier as the quarter progresses but I always got 10/10.
Would take Peris Again

During my entire undergraduate career, I have never had such an engaged, passionate, helpful, and caring Professor. Professor Peris has the ability to make even the dullest topics entertaining. During class, he always makes sure to answer every student's question effectively, always staying after class to answer any remaining questions. I have made it a priority to attend his office hours almost every week. Professor Peris is always very welcoming and makes sure to answer my questions, even if we go over time. In the past, whenever I would attempt to do outside learning on the course material and ask my professor about it, I would get very sparse answers. Professor Peris, on the other hand, welcomes this type of inquiry. Had he not been teaching this class, I could assure you that I would think studying Congress was incredibly mundane. Now, I have decided to apply to different Ph.D. programs because I have realized how fascinating Congress is and how many questions I have left. I have been able to apply so much of the course content to contemporary events, and I have generated so many research questions just from discussing the course content with Professor Peris. He seems to truly care about students' concerns and goes out of his way to hear their feedback. If you are willing to put in the work to get a good grade for the congressional simulation, he will guide you through it and tell you exactly what you need to do to obtain full credit. He is an incredibly straightforward and fair grader. I am so thankful to have enrolled in this class. Professor Peris represents the best UCLA has to offer and has already made such a large impact on my academic journey. I just wish he taught more classes!!